The Health Benefits of Being Outdoors

There is growing evidence that around the world, many of us are spending too much time indoors. The effects of not getting outside for a sufficient amount of time every day will start to significantly impact your mental and physical health over time. Modern society is becoming less focused on the outdoors and more targeted towards technology and career-driven people. Many of us today find that pursuing a career, maintaining a social life and commuting to and from work seems to take up all our time during the week. However, this way of living isn’t healthy for our minds and bodies. Working 9-5 keeps most of us indoors during the day and many of us might spend our evenings inside our homes watching TV. In fact, 90% of our time is spent indoors on average, which means the majority of us are not getting as much natural sunlight as we need!

Getting exposure to daylight is essential to regulate our circadian rhythm. Without getting sufficient daylight exposure during the day, our circadian rhythm becomes disrupted and our bodies don’t feel tired when they should. Instead, the electric lights in our homes and blue light in electronic devices keeps our minds awake and prevents us from entering a restful state when we need to. Being outside is crucial to compensating for the artificial light we expose ourselves to, to reset our natural circadian rhythm.

Especially during the winter months, it’s very important that we make an extra effort to spend as much time outdoors as we can whilst daylight hours are lower than normal. 1 in 3 people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and many people don’t recognise their symptoms and therefore are unaware of how to  If you’ve been struggling with low mood or fatigue this winter, there’s a chance that you might be suffering from SAD. Even if it’s just by getting our for a short walk on your lunch break, walking or cycling to work in the mornings or going for a short jog in the evening, try and make sure you’re getting some natural sunlight each day to regulate your mood, sleeping pattern and immune system.

Just a few of the main benefits of spending time outside includes:

• Improved sleep
• Lower blood pressure
• Better energy levels
• Reduced inflammation
• Positive mindset
• Improved productivity levels
• Improves memory

In case you still need convincing, the team at Mainland Aggregates have put together this infographic all about the health benefits of spending time in nature has on your mind and body. Read on to find out more.